I’m sure that you have heard this piece of sage advice: “Never, say ‘never.’” Or we may have had the situation that as soon as we say, “Everybody knows that …” or “it always works to ….,” some smart aleck will come along and prove us wrong.
And in light of this, I’ve wondered if the apostle Paul knew the chance he was taking when he, under God’s inspiration, issued the command in Philippians 4:6 (read). Everything?
I know that when I read this statement in the Bible my subconscious response is “It can’t mean everything! Some things aren’t spiritual enough to be prayed about and others are too insignificant to bother God with.”
Maybe that’s what went through King Ahaz’ mind when God gave him a Philippians 4:6 kind of command in Isaiah 7:11.
But Ahaz refused (Isaiah 7:12). Now that’s what we’d call audacious. God comes to him with a direct order and Ahaz says no. I wonder how Ahaz would have reacted if one of his subjects had responded like that to his commands.
King Ahaz probably felt justified however, because he had what he saw as a real good reason “to not bother the Lord with anything like that.”
I know that at a time in my life I tried not to ask God for anything. In some way I thought this showed I was humble. But according to God’s response to Ahaz, He would have been much more impressed with humility that showed itself in obedience to His request. Read Isaiah 7:13.
It’s interesting that the Lord rebuked Ahaz for not asking; while nowhere in God’s Word do we see anyone rebuked for asking too much. Rebuke is given to those that ask for the wrong thing but not for asking too much. God means what He says when He tells us to pray about everything.
And “everything” includes all our physical, emotional and spiritual needs, as well as all those things we are concerned about and all our desires. Read Psalm 37:4.
If you have access to a copy of Mr. Herbert Armstrong’s autobiography, read the chapter on “Astounding Answers to Prayers.” These are lessons for us to learn from; Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong had needs.
In deep earnestness and absolute faith he prayed – asking God to heal his wife and put iron in her blood and give her needed strength. He asked God to send food and fuel and some money for the hospital bill for the delivery of their child. He also asked God for a new coat.
Asking God for these five things had taken less than a minute but God answered just as quickly. Mr. Armstrong was living two scriptures, Matthew 6:8 and Philippians 4:19. We do need to ask, to communicate.
Failing to communicate, even in small matters, causes problems – between a husband and wife, parents and children, employer and employee. And especially in our day-to-day lives when we fail to communicate with God. Many times we don’t have because we fail to ask, read James 4:2.
This reminds me of a story about a group of “Christian” women discussing a Bible passage that gives a bleak picture of what we often do instead of praying to God for what we want and need. The verse was: “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war” (James 4:2).
These women concluded that none them had killed anyone or started any war to get what they wanted but their list of “what we do to get what we need instead of praying” looked and sounded something like this: one nagged her husband for what she wanted; another admitted she complained a lot about all those things she needed; another criticized those who had what she didn’t; one just worried about it; one had taken on a time consuming second job to get more money for her needs.
How’s that for an updated version of James 4:2?
Why pray about everything? Why beat our prayers real fine? Do it because praying opens us up to God. And that opening up (real communication – one on one) allows Him to enter our current situation to purify our motives and to give us His true perspective.
Read I John 1:7.
Walking in the light isn’t hard. It just means keeping the lines of communication open to God, so He’s free to put His finger on anything that displease Him and needs to be changed. The “how” of that openness with God is to pray about everything.
We need to pray as David, “Hear my prayer, O Lord. Give ear to my supplication. In you faithfulness answer me. And in Your righteousness” (Psalms 143:1). He will respond.
